


Coffee And Art

by RaineMurphyReads



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:55:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25749997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaineMurphyReads/pseuds/RaineMurphyReads
Summary: Coffee and Art meet... Both are wonderful. That's all you need to know.If you want more info though, I guess you could call this a Coffee Shop AU with a little bit of University AU.(I don't know, I'm new here.)
Relationships: Katherine Howard/Catherine Parr
Comments: 19
Kudos: 43





	1. Latte

**Author's Note:**

> So before you start reading, I'm just going to say that there will be some parts where some characters will feel pain, it won't be that detailed or extreme (in this chapter at least, I'll see what happens with the next one).
> 
> And just to clarify, there won't be deaths here.

Stifling a yawn as she woke up, Katherine set her gaze on the clock beside her bed. “7:45,” she mumbled to herself with her groggy voice and yawned as she sat up from her bed and stretched. Katherine made her way to her kitchen and began preparing breakfast for herself and started eating in comfortable silence. Suddenly, her phone started ringing while she was drinking water, almost making her choke from the sudden disturbance of silence. Katherine tried to steady her breathing while she reached for her phone on the table and answered, “Hello?” Her voice cracked, still trying to recover from almost choking, which made the caller giggle, making Katherine recognise the caller immediately. 

“Hey, just called to remind you that I'll be there by tonight,” Anne said trying to stop herself from giggling, earning a smile from her beloved cousin. 

“Yeah, thanks. I've got everything ready... even your Heelys and your personal space of enjoyment for it.” Katherine laughed. Before she could get another word in, Anne yelled, “Thank you,” maybe a bit too loud, causing Katherine to flinch and almost lose her grip on her phone. “Okay, I have to go now and get ready for work. I'll see you later. I love you!”

“Love you too!” Anne replied before Katherine hang up. Katherine smiled to herself and finished the rest of her food and started getting ready for her part-time job as a barista in a coffee shop near her university. Before she left, she took a look at herself in the mirror and reached up to her neck when her breathing suddenly became uneven. “Just breathe, Katherine. Relax,” she murmured to herself as she pulls a hand down to her chest. As her breathing becomes a little more stable, she takes a glance at her clock. She has about an hour and a half to get to the coffee shop. Fortunately, it's only about 15 minutes away. She'd get distracted and take her time walking there though, so it would usually take her 20-25 minutes. Katherine puts her dark brown hair in a ponytail and heads out hoping her breathing will even out as she walks to her job.

Katherine began to have breathing problems when she was about 17, she doesn't know why nor could she afford the time to go to the doctors and find out. She suspected it was anxiety, but she doesn't know for sure. It always just feels like something's strangling her every single day. It's affected her greatly since she couldn't do the things she loved the most, singing and dancing, as frequently as she used to. Though, she did somehow cope with it by learning how to paint and even came to love it. Fortunately, her breathing gradually started to get better over the years, though it did still have its moments. And now, 3 years later, when she's about to turn 21, it's basically about to disappear and she can probably get back to doing what she loves in a year or maybe even a few months. This was all thanks to Anne though. She was the person who taught her how to regulate her breathing a bit and helped her through everything. She does wonder, every now and then, why and how she began to develop breathing problems, but she decided just to be thankful that she's getting better and move on. 

Opening the door to the coffee shop, Katherine's greeted by her manager and a girl, who she presumed to be a new employee as she was wearing their uniform. “Hey, Katherine! I know your shift starts in less than an hour, but can you show our new barista the ropes? I have to take care of some things for next week. Thanks,” said the manager hastily and ran to his office. Katherine quietly said, “Okay,” to herself before facing the new barista. She had dark curly hair and brown eyes and is slightly shorter than Katherine, but the height difference wasn't that noticeable. Katherine smiled and stuck her hand out as she introduced herself, “Hey there, I'm Katherine. It's a pleasure to meet you!”

“I’m Catherine Pa—” as she was reaching for Katherine's hand to shake it, Catherine was cut mid-sentence when a tall girl squealed and tackled Katherine into a hug from her left. Because of being unprepared, Katherine yelped and lost her balance, causing both of them to tumble down. Catherine stood there for a moment, trying to process what happened, then ran up to them and knelt down, her face visibly worried. “Are you both okay?”

Katherine groaned and rubbed the back of her head, trying to ease the pain, as Catherine helped both of them up. “Yeah,” Katherine mumbled and turned to face the culprit. Katherine immediately recognised who it was, long brown hair styled into space buns, a goofy grin, and a mischievous glint in her eyes. She got tackled into a tight hug again this time keeping her balance. “Anne!? W-what are you doing here, I thought you wouldn't be here till tonight?” Anne chuckled and pulled away. 

“Isn't it obvious? I wanted to surprise you! Plus, I was getting impatient. It's summer and I want to spend it with you and some old friends, but mostly you,” Anne said as she grabbed Katherine's hands and looked at her cousin lovingly, to which Katherine smiled at. Anne turned her attention to the girl beside her, who shifted awkwardly. “Hey there, I'm Anne, Katherine's cousin. You must be one of her friends, nice to meet you, “ Anne said as she let go of Katherine's hands and waved at the girl. 

“I’m Catherine Parr and it's just my first day here, so I've actually just met Katherine today.” Anne stared at both of them, blinking a few times, while Katherine and Catherine just looked at each other confused, but having an idea as to what the gleeful girl was thinking about. 

“Yeah, I'm going to need nicknames, this'll get confusing for me,” Anne blurted out, completely ignoring the second part of what Catherine just stated. Catherine hesitated to say something on her mind, but she said what it was anyway. Well, a part of it in a vague way. 

“I-I'm not opposed to it, but you could just use our last names.” Anne just shook her head at that idea. 

"Yes, but no. It just sounds a bit too formal and serious for me." Anne stood there for a second trying to think of nicknames and then she snapped her fingers. “Kat for Howard and Cathy for Parr! And that's the first and last time I'm ever calling you by your last names. You can't change my mind nor can you stop me from using them.” Katherine, now nicknamed Kat, just giggled and grabbed her cousin's shoulders from behind. 

“I won't, it's actually a good idea. It's going to get confusing especially at work anyway.” Kat glanced at a clock and turned back to Anne. “Now, as much as I love talking to you and grateful for your _very well-timed surprise_ , it's past 10 a.m. and my shift starts in less than an hour and I have to prepare some things here for today. Just go hang out with your old friends while I'm working, unless you want to wait till 7 p.m. that is.” Anne pouted as Kat guided her to the door. 

“Fiiine, but we're having a movie marathon after you’re done,” Anne whined. Kat chuckled and nodded as she said, “Okay,” making Anne grin. “I'll pick you up later when your shift ends.” They both waved goodbye and Anne left to probably roam around until something or _someone_ catches her interest. 

Kat turned her attention back to Cathy and took a glance at the clock again and immediately felt nervous. “S-sorry about that, I should probably get you familiarised with everything here before I get us in trouble.” Cathy just giggled and smiled. 

“It's alright, but yeah, we should probably get going.” Cathy started walking towards the counter when Kat grabbed her shoulder from behind, making her stop in her tracks.

“Before I forget, are you comfortable with using nicknames? I'm okay with them, but I saw you hesitating there for a moment, so I figured you'd be uncomfortable with it or something. We don't have to use it if you are.” Catherine smiled at Kat's thoughtfulness and waved her off.

“No, it's fine really. I was just afraid I'd get a silly or dumb nickname. But yeah, Cathy's fine, that’s what my friends call me anyway.” Kat smiled and pat her back. 

“Let's get to work then, Cathy.” Cathy smiled at the gesture and proceeded to follow Kat to the counter. 

Everything went by quickly, seeing as they only had about an hour to get set. Kat showed where the equipment was, especially the ones in the drawers, so Cathy wouldn't get confused. Their 5 other co-workers started coming in, the manager included, and also helped them. They didn't have to teach that much to Cathy, just some better techniques on how to steam milk and tamp down espresso. Minor things that only needed improvement. Turns out, Cathy really likes coffee and presumably knows more about coffee than Kat. But in terms of experience, Kat unquestionably has her beat. Kat and her co-workers showed her some tips and tricks mainly about latte art, since, to be frank, Cathy wasn't good at it. It didn't really go anywhere, so they decided Kat would cover for Cathy in latte art until she learnt how to do it properly. Then, in their last 15 minutes, their co-workers decided to do a warm-up for Cathy. 

All of them asked for one drink each except Kat. “I'll get a medium mocha with 2%. She'll have a double shot soy latte and he'll have a skinny cappuccino. The other two are okay with an espresso. And just for clarification, disregard the latte art for now.” While Cathy was working on the drinks, Kat decided to remain on the side and just do her own thing, using a vacant coffee machine to make a latte for herself. It keeps her awake but doesn't make her jittery like the stronger drinks. The significant amount of milk eases the effect of the caffeine. While Kat waited for her espresso to brew, she watched Cathy intently. She noticed Cathy's hands were slightly shivering. You wouldn't notice it from afar unless you were observing her. Kat was literally a meter across from her and even then, it was barely noticeable. Kat thought she was just nervous or something, but at the same time, she didn't think that was the reason at all. She also thought she was overthinking though. She waited patiently for Cathy to finish, so she can bring it up. 

She just finished making her latte as Cathy finally served the last order, which honestly didn't take that long. They still had about over 5 minutes left before their shift started thanks to Cathy's ability to multi-task. She was very efficient and speedy, which is helpful especially with impatient customers. Cathy's drinks were on point and she was getting praises from her co-workers. Cathy rubbed her hands together subtly as if trying to warm herself. Kat still noticed though and took note of that. To be honest, she was getting quite worried. It was summer and it's far from cold, even inside the coffee shop, but again, maybe she’s just misinterpreting Cathy’s actions. Kat went over to Cathy with her freshly made latte and decided, as she walked there, to give Cathy her latte to try something out, she didn't want to look dumb when she spoke about what was on her mind. Plus, she'd be hitting two birds with one stone if Cathy was actually cold. She'd be able to check on her state and give her a warm drink. If she wasn't, then she would just have to let her latte go. "Cathy, want a latte?" Cathy tilted her head a bit in confusion. 

"Didn't you make that for yourself though?" Kat just smiled at her while thinking of something to evade the question quickly. It _is_ odd to make something for herself, then just suddenly give it to someone. 

"Just consider it a welcome gift." Cathy's eyes lit up as she said this. While handing the latte to Cathy, Kat made sure to hold the cup with both hands to be able to inevitably and deliberately make contact with the others without arousing suspicion or looking like a creep, just to see if her hunch was right. As Kat had planned, Cathy's hands brushed against hers for just a few seconds, pretending to make sure the latte doesn't spill. To Kat, it was enough to conclude that Cathy was indeed cold, _really cold_. If not, then maybe the summer heat was just getting to Kat. Kat shook off her thoughts and made her way to a nearby bar stool while Cathy sipped her latte. After a while, Kat finally decided to ask the question, no matter how arbitrary it was. “Cathy, random question, but are you cold by any chance?” Cathy was a bit taken aback by the unexpected question but answered anyway. 

“U-um, yeah... I know it's summer, but to me, it always just feels cold. Regardless of the season.” Cathy chuckled awkwardly; she didn't think Kat would notice it at all. If she did, she expected Kat to judge her or something similar, but surprisingly, it was quite the opposite. Their co-workers overheard this, but most of them just decided to leave it to Kat and start preparing for their shifts, whereas the others prepare to leave as they've finished their shift.

“Did you bring a jacket or a jumper? Just roll up your sleeves a bit though, it might get stained.” Kat read somewhere that what Cathy was experiencing was usually due to poor health, but she didn't bring it up because she didn't want to be intrusive. Cathy shook her head and Kat got a bit confused.

“Why though? If you were aware of this, you would've at least brought something to keep you warm,” one of their co-workers inquired, reading Kat's mind. Though, she would’ve preferred to say it in a nicer way. 

“Umm... My roommate kind of forced me to not bring one. She said it looked ridiculous, with it being summer and all.” Cathy looked down at her feet, still rubbing her hands together, feeling slightly embarrassed, which was understandable. The guy who asked the question just stood there in silence, feeling slightly awkward, and just decided to leave it to Kat like the others. Kat sat there for a moment then, suddenly got up and made her way to her bag without a word. This naturally made Cathy confused and anxious. Kat came back with a jumper in her hand and handed it to Cathy. 

“Wear this, I can't even begin to think of how cold it is for you right now. You're going to need it.” Kat chuckled and Cathy reluctantly took the jumper. “A-are you sure?” Cathy didn't like the idea of borrowing something from someone she just met on her first day at work. Kat just nodded and Cathy just mumbled, “Thanks,” still slightly embarrassed, but grateful because she couldn't bear the cold any longer. Cathy put the jumper and her apron on and both girls decided to go and help out, seeing they only had about a minute before their shift starts. 

The shift went smoothly, it wasn't anything special. Just the average day of a barista in general. Cathy did very well for her first day, especially now that she had something to keep her warm instead of freezing to death. Kat, on the other hand, had better days. She got a terrible headache and had difficulty relaxing while working, which was evident and her co-workers noticed and tried to persuade her to take a break. She didn't want to ruin their workflow nor did she want to stop working, so she just waved them off. 

It was now the end of their shift and their other co-workers started to leave. Kat stayed in the coffee shop and waited for Anne to pick her up. Surprisingly, Cathy also decided to stay awhile. They sat next to each other, since sitting alone in a full coffee shop wasn't really an option. Plus, it's good to have company in a crowded place. They both just sat there in comfortable silence. Kat was trying to ease her headache by rubbing her temples and Cathy was reading a book while drinking coffee. Cathy drinking coffee at night concerned Kat, but she couldn't be bothered to do anything about it because of throbbing pain in her head. And, again, she didn't want to be intrusive. 

After Kat's futile attempts to ease her headache, she finally gave up. She just decided to sleep it off till Anne arrived, who was already running late. She rested her head on her arms on the table and closed her eyes, hoping the pain would just go away when she woke up. Unfortunately for her, sleeping proved to be difficult as she forced herself to drift out of consciousness while in pain. Suddenly she felt something cold press against her forehead. She opened her eyes and locked eyes with Cathy, who was lightly pressing an ice pack, most likely from the shop, against Kat's forehead, looking worried. Kat smiled at her and mumbled, “Thanks,” and tried to hold the ice pack up herself, but Cathy grabbed Kat's wrist before she could touch the ice pack and gently set it down. 

“Just try to sleep, Kat. I'll wake you up when Anne gets here. I'll hold the ice pack for you.” Kat nodded, not having the energy to complain. She closed her eyes as the cold dulled the painful sensation. After a few minutes, Cathy heard Kat softly snoring and felt a bit relieved. While she waited for Anne, she read her book with one hand, the other holding the ice pack up. While waiting though, she found herself staring at Kat out of worry from time to time. Half an hour later, Cathy spotted Anne across the street, walking towards the coffee shop. She woke Kat up, shaking her as gently as possible. Kat groaned and sat up, her eyes squinting, adjusting to the brightness. 

“Is Anne here?” Kat mumbled with her husky voice. She looked around and saw Anne just entering the coffee shop. She rubbed her eyes and walked towards Anne, who was only two steps away and hugged Anne. Anne hugged back, looking slightly worried at her cousin, who was looking obviously exhausted. “You're late,” Kat mumbled into her shoulder. 

“Yeah, sorry. I got caught up in something, I'll tell you about it later. Anyway, what happened to you? You look like someone punched you in the gut.”

“She got a terrible headache while working.” Cathy chimed in, sensing Kat not having the energy to talk more at all. Anne sighs and looks at Cathy.

“Well, thanks for taking care of Kat. I owe you one.” Cathy smiles softly and says, “You’re welcome…” Kat hugs Anne tighter and both Anne and Cathy get the feeling that her headache’s just getting worse. “I think you should head home now before she passes out. Take this ice pack with you,” Cathy suggested as she handed the ice pack, worry written all over her face. Anne took the ice pack and handed it to Kat who slowly pulled away from Anne and took it and pressed it against her forehead.

“Thanks, Cathy,” both cousins said simultaneously. Cathy smiled and nodded as she grabbed her bag.

“I should also probably get going now, it’s getting pretty late.” Kat glanced at the clock and noticed it was now 8:05 pm.

“Let’s get going then. It’s also getting crowded here,” Kat sighed, feeling slightly nervous at the number of people in the shop. They left the coffee shop and said their goodbyes and went on their separate ways.

“So, may I ask why Cathy’s wearing your favourite jumper?” Kat remained silent, looking confused at Anne’s question until she recalled what happened. 

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that. She just felt cold. That’s all,” Kat said nonchalantly while walking. Anne looked confused for a brief second before coming up with an explanation. 

“I’m guessing it’s due to poor health since it’s literally summer.” Kat just shrugged and Anne grinned as she remembered something. “That’s _really_ sweet of you though, considering why you bring that jumper everywhere every time you go out and how important it is to you. I wouldn’t have ever imagined you giving it to someone _that_ easily.” Kat sighed and looked at Anne. 

“Anne, I just noticed she was cold. Okay? Plus, I felt bad. Working for more than 5 hours while you're cold is torture.” Kat went on about Cathy’s situation, knowing Anne would ask more questions. Unfortunately for Kat, Anne just shrugged them off. 

“Whatever you say, Kat.” Anne grinned and Kat rolled her eyes.

“I think you’ve completely forgotten how we just met today, literally right before you got here.” Anne looked shocked, suddenly remembering the phrase which she completely ignored when Cathy introduced herself. Anne was quick to recover though. 

“It still doesn’t change the fact that you gave her your precious jumper. In fact, it just reinforces my point further, just in a different way. The fact that she’s _still_ just a stranger’ makes your thoughtfulness all the sweeter. Especially because it involved your jumper, which you never let anyone borrow. Plus, I _definitely_ saw her staring at you while you were sleeping.” Kat, feeling her head getting more painful, decided to just let Anne blabber about her and Cathy as they walked back to her flat, no matter how much she wanted her to stop. She had to admit Anne blabbering about them was quite funny though. 

Meanwhile, Cathy just got to her flat and went straight to her room, wanting some rest after an exhausting day. Her roommate wasn’t home yet, which was strange since she usually comes home early. Cathy figured she was just doing overtime at her office. Before she went to bed though, she made sure to drop Kat’s jumper by the laundry so she wouldn’t forget to wash it before she gave it back. She didn’t want to give it back to Kat dirty. It’s not exactly polite. 

Cathy laid on her bed, thinking of how to convince her roommate to let her wear a jumper, in the midst of summer, no matter how ridiculous it looked. “I just hope she doesn’t threaten to confiscate my books or my camera to force me again.” Cathy sighed, clearly not wanting to spend summer feeling like she’s engulfed in ice and she didn’t want to bother anyone with her situation. She'd need to take care of her overall health to at least manage her cold intolerance. “Maybe I should start sleeping and not sneak in a coffee or two at night, so I can at least get stress out of the way.” Cathy groaned at the idea and turned to her side. That idea comes with a dilemma, at least for her. 

Cathy _loves_ her coffee, but it’s going to turn her Into an insomniac, which can be fatal. She has a lot of things she wants to do. Publishing many books that she hopes can make a change. Capturing precious and beautiful moments with a mere camera. It can come off as ambitious, but all she wants is to make the most out of her life. Just not in the way most people would, like travelling the world or anything extreme. She still just wanted a calm, quiet, and stable life. Hence why she should stop drinking too much coffee in one day. 

“I still want my coffee though.” Cathy laughs for a moment at the sudden realization she’s been talking to herself out loud and sighed. “Talking to yourself is a bit more relieving than I thought.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, stranger! I hope you enjoyed reading this. This is just my first time writing a fanfic, so please feel free to give constructive criticism because God knows I need it. And most importantly, thank you for even going out of your way to read this!
> 
> And if you already couldn't tell, this story might get long, but I'll try to not prolong too much.
> 
> \- Raine ^-^


	2. Subordination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This starts at the day after Kat and Cathy met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, so it's been a while. I am finishing this book, I'm just really slow. I've made this one a bit longer because I got carried away and editing it was a pain because I always miss so many typos (I've also recently just edited chapter one because of that). Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading. 
> 
> :3

Sitting alone outside of a restaurant on a weekend, Cathy clutched her camera with both hands. In front of her was a fluffy cat that was trying to catch a pink petal that happened to swoop right in front of it. Cathy’s very tempted to take a photo of it, but she also wants to just watch and observe the cat, the latter being the one she settled on doing. Cathy would probably never admit it, but she just really found the cat adorable. The fact that its tracking skills weren’t exactly the best just made it funnier to watch. Cathy smiled as she watched the cat slowly look around for its prey despite it being directly in front of it. 

Cathy was waiting for a friend of hers. It’s been a while since they’ve seen each other. They’ve both been busy over the past few months. Cathy was busy with university and her friend was busy at work, working on numerous projects that took months to finish. From what Cathy knows, she’s on holiday for at least a week and yesterday was her friend’s last day before the said holiday. They were essentially excited to finally see each other again after _months_. 

“Cathy?” A voice Cathy knows all too well called out from behind her. Abandoning the idea of observing or, to be more accurate, _admiring_ the cat, she turned around. “You’re earlier than usual,” the girl chuckled. 

“I don’t see any reason how more time to talk with the ever-busy Lina is bad, is there?” Cathy smiled as she hugged Lina _very_ tightly.

“None at all, it’s actually very much appreciated. Th-though I might run out of air or break a rib with how tight your hug is.” 

“Oh, sorry!” Cathy let Lina go and stepped back a bit as she laughed sheepishly. “Got a bit too excited about seeing you again.” 

“It’s okay, I would’ve done it too if you just didn’t beat me to it,” Lina laughed. “Anyway, we should get inside.” She then proceeded to open the door to the restaurant and stepped aside, letting Cathy enter first. A waitress guides them to their table and they order their meal and just start catching up with each other. It _has_ been almost a year since they properly hung out, so it only made sense that it was _a_ _lot_ of catching up. Some inside jokes were thrown in once in a while, other than that it was just two close friends talking and having a laugh. And at one point, they got to the topic of Cathy’s first day as a barista. 

“So how was your first day at work yesterday?” Lina looked at Cathy curiously. Cathy’s first day on a job has somehow always been rather entertaining for certain reasons. They often joke that she’s cursed or something with the amount of bad luck Cathy has with them. 

“Surprisingly, it was pretty normal. But—” Cathy paused and smiled as she remembered Kat and Anne ”—I did meet some nice people. One of them let me borrow their jumper because I was feeling cold. Other than that, I don’t think there’s anything worth mentioning.” 

“Your roommate caught you again?” Cathy nodded. 

“She caught me while I was stuffing my jumper in my bag and then she started rambling about something, I don’t really remember. I didn’t want to wake our neighbours and I was in a hurry anyway, so I just went to work without it. Luckily, I managed to sneak one out today.” Cathy was rarely caught sneaking a jumper out, but if she was, that’s what she would usually do. Plus, Cathy didn’t want to start an argument, especially over something that would’ve been trivial if it wasn’t for her condition. If that’s what she had to do to get her roommate off her back (and honestly, her neighbours’ eardrums too), then she would do it. 

Lina sighed in utter disbelief. “When are you going to move out of there? I don’t want you to go through that any longer. I mean, she’s bugging you over something that you actually _need_!” 

“I know, I’ve saved up enough money from my previous job to live alone. I’m just looking for a better place now. I’ll definitely find one before summer ends. And just to remind you, it’s not always _just_ about jumpers.” 

“Regardless, you really shouldn’t stay quiet and just put up with that kind of behaviour anymore. You already told her about your situation when she began bugging you about it and yet it’s like she doesn’t even acknowledge it.” 

“Maybe she’s just going through some stuff. I mean, when someone’s being mean to you it’s usually because they’re having a bad day.” 

“From what you’ve told me about her, I don’t think so. And for over a year?” 

“But surely there’s a reason behind it, right? Maybe I did something that upset her without realizing it.” 

“We’ll never know unless she herself admits it.” It’ll probably never happen since Cathy’s not going to live with her there long enough to find out. “Now on the subject of you moving, do you need any help finding a place? I have time now that I’m on holiday.” 

“No, it’s fine. I don’t think it’ll be that hard to find a place for me. As long as it has the essentials and affordable, it’ll do fine.” 

“It’ll be faster to find one with two peopl—” 

“Shh! You’re on holiday and you deserve to get some rest. You’ve been working so hard ever since you got a job over a year ago as an interior designer and don’t even get me started on some of the overtime you do. In your free time, you’re either playing chess for very long hours or doing some woodwork at home. Those aren’t really problems though since those are more like hobbies and to be honest, you’re very good with time management and less likely to get burnt out unlike me, _but_ they still tire you out.” Cathy stops for a moment to catch her breath. “My point is, you’re on holiday, and holidays are supposed to be spent like actual holidays.” 

Lina laughed, amused at how much Cathy wants her to get rest. “Okay, I get it. You can always call me if you need any help though.” Now, while Lina does know that Cathy genuinely wants her to rest, she also knows that Cathy just simply likes doing things alone most of the time. That doesn’t stop Lina from always trying to help her though, even if she has to do it in secret. She knows her boundaries of course, but if it’s like just finding a flat, she would help out. You could say they’re both stubborn in their own way. 

“Enough about me. How was your last day at work?” Lina thought for a moment, recollecting what happened. 

“Everything went well, there wasn’t any problem. Something quite unfortunate did happen after work though.” Cathy hummed in response, implying Lina to go on. “So, after work, I went out with a co-worker to play chess with him. A girl who was watching us wanted to play with me after our game. I agreed to it since, well, I had the time and it was already technically my holiday. Anyway, my co-worker and I finish our game. The girl and I start our match right away after my acquaintance left. The way she played was strange. She wasn’t playing to get a checkmate; it was more like she was dragging it out more than anything.” Lina smiles a little at the memory. “To be honest, it was quite amusing. But what frustrates me is that an hour and a half in our game, she leaves abruptly saying that she needed to go.” 

“Which one are you frustrated at, the girl or the unfinished game of chess?” 

“Just the latter… The girl was honestly fun to play with. I’m not frustrated at her. If I could, I’d play a round of chess with her again. I just want to finish our game.” 

“I thought this would be a lot more serious, but this is okay, I guess? I still don’t get it,” Cathy admitted. Cathy has never played chess, even in her childhood. She did get a bit curious about it since she used to watch Lina play chess frequently in the park when they were much younger. 

“It’s the same thing as playing chess for 3 hours straight only to get a stalemate, at least for me.” Lina groaned thinking about her previous experiences, though Cathy could hear there was a slight hint of amusement in her voice. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully comprehend it no how many times I watch you, or anyone, play chess.” 

Lina grinned, taking a sip of her tea. “Someday I’m going to make you play chess with me so you can get the authentic experience.”

“I am interested, but at the same time, I’m having doubts about wanting to experience what you just said 10 seconds ago. I already get frustrated enough from staring at a blank page for 3 hours and not knowing what to write for my stories.” 

“Good choice, but I’m just saying I’m here if your curiosity gets the best of you.” 

“… Maybe I’ll play just one round if it does. Though, with the non-existent experience I have with chess, I’d probably mess up by my third move and the game will end in less than a minute, unless you take into account the time it takes for me to figure out my next move.” 

Lina smiled as if she was already thinking of a way to reel Cathy into playing chess with her. “With the number of times you’ve watched me play chess, I’d say you’d do pretty well.” 

They chatted for a few more hours, mostly just reminiscing before deciding to call it a night. Lina needed to rest and Cathy just wanted to do a bit of writing in her room before she _tried_ to sleep (and also let Lina _rest_ ). Today was a pretty good day for her. It wasn’t noisy or anything and she got to see Lina again. 

As Cathy entered her flat, she heard her roommate’s car approaching from outside. Cathy only had two things in her mind. Get a cup of coffee from the kitchen and head straight to her room to avoid her roommate. She did just that and made it to her room just in time, hearing the front door opening. She wanted to avoid her roommate until she found a place to move into or at least figured out a way to convince her about the jumper situation. Plus, it’s not like she ever liked Cathy’s company. Like Lina has always said, it’s ridiculous. 

She set down her coffee on her desk and changed into some more comfortable clothes. She was just about to get ready to write when she hears laughter coming from the other room. “She brought friends over again… Great,” she whispers to herself sarcastically. She tried to write a little bit about a random story that she’s been working on before she gave up after the first 20 minutes because of how loud the other room was. “I can’t write like this.” Cathy downed the rest of her coffee and just collapsed on her bed and covered her ears with her pillow as she slowly drifted to sleep. 

The next day in the morning, Cathy was just on her desk writing a bit more. Her roommate’s friends, who stayed over, aren’t as noisy as they were last night, so she was able to focus a bit more. That didn’t last though as she heard a thump that was immediately replaced with arguing from, you probably already guessed it, her roommate’s friends. Cathy at this point was already really irritated and just decided to confront them right then and there. She didn’t even bother to take off the blanket that was wrapped around her body. 

Cathy poked her head out her door and couldn’t really see what was going on, but it didn’t matter. They’re making so much noise in the _morning_ that they’re probably going to get a visit from one of their neighbours if they argue any longer. Realistically though, it’s probably too late by now. “I didn’t want to intrude, but if you’re going to argue, please try to at least not be so loud in the morning,” Cathy said trying not to be loud herself, but loud enough for them to notice and hear her. All of them glared at her and looked like they were about to say something before they heard a knock from the front door. Cathy had expected this. Seeing as she was the closest to the door, she opened it ready to apologise for the noise. What she didn’t expect was to see their landlord instead of one of their neighbours. 

“Good morning, Cathy,” the landlord says with a blank expression. It looked like he just woke up. Cathy froze for a moment before getting a hold of herself. They were definitely in big trouble.   


“G-good morning, sir! I’m terribly sorry about the noise we’re causing in the morning. I—,” 

“May I talk to your roommate?” Cathy looked back at her roommate and the others and back at him and nodded nervously. “Thank you. Oh, and if I’m not bothering you, can you go out for a bit? This might take an hour or so and it might get noisy knowing her,” the landlord sighs. 

“Yes, of course. I’ll just get some things from my room, then I’ll be off.” Cathy wasn’t really planning on leaving her flat today, but it looks like she’s going to change some plans for today (not that she had much planned in the first place). Cathy threw her blanket on her bed and grabbed her bag and a jumper. It wasn’t like her roommate will care about it with the landlord there, so there was really no point in trying to hide it. She also took her camera along with her because… why not? 

Cathy headed out and as soon as she left the flat, she pondered what she was going to do outside. This was quite a bit of a strange situation for a Sunday. So, she just walked aimlessly for a while as she wondered what was happening back in her flat. As she expected, she somehow got lost in less than 30 minutes. She decided to rest at a park she saw while walking and just ask some people for directions afterwards. 

As she was about to sit on a bench, she saw someone she literally didn’t expect to see that day. She was at one of the picnic tables not that far away from Cathy, a paintbrush in one hand. Her hair was down this time, but Cathy definitely knew who it was. 

It was Kat. 

Cathy would’ve just paid no mind to her and let Kat enjoy her day, but then she immediately remembered the jumper that was in her bag. She had just stuffed it in her bag earlier that morning after it dried just in case she forgot the next day. “Should I wait until tomorrow or...” Cathy thought about it for a moment before taking out the jumper from her bag. “I might as well. She’s already here.” Cathy felt slightly nervous walking up to Kat. Cathy had to be the person to initiate the conversation, which she didn’t know how to do with Kat. 

Cathy stood beside Kat, who was _really_ invested in just painting, for a solid 10 seconds. Cathy was either trying to figure out what to say or thinking about backing out and just giving it to Kat at work the next day. The answer is probably both. Introducing herself the other day to her was easy, but how do you start conversations from then on outside of work? Cathy’s right foot had already started to take a step back when she heard something that almost made her lose her balance. 

“Meoooow!” A cat abruptly meows _loudly_ at Cathy for whatever reason, making Kat turn her head towards a spooked Cathy and a cat looking at Cathy as if it’s judging every decision she’s ever made in her life. 

“Cathy?” Kat laughed, looking at the scene in front of her. “Are you okay?” Cathy quickly nodded still looking at the cat, the _same_ cat she was admiring yesterday. “ Is… is that your cat, ” Kat asked as she looked at the cat in front of Cathy. It was so _fluffy_. 

Cathy turns to face Kat, finally taking her eyes off the cat. “Umm, no. I’ve seen it before, but it’s not mine.” Kat stretched her hand out to the cat and it surprisingly leaned into her touch. “Kat petting a cat... Well, this is ironic,” Cathy thought to herself. 

“What are you doing outside early in the morning,” Kat asked Cathy as she slowly took the cat from the ground to her lap with ease. 

“Well... I wasn’t planning on going out today, but long story short, something unexpected happened back at our flat hence why I’m outside and… just wandering around.” Cathy looked down and looked at Kat’s jumper in her hands. “Oh, and I saw you while I was walking around, so I figured I’d give you your jumper now.” Cathy put the pink knit that’s neatly folded down on the picnic table since Kat’s hands were currently occupied with petting that cat that was sitting on her lap. Kat thanked Cathy and smiled. It seemed like her headache from the other day was gone. 

“Would you like to sit with me?” Kat patted the seat beside her while her other hand continued to pet the cat. Cathy just expected to give Kat her jumper back and leave, but the idea of talking for a bit longer felt nice too. Despite being nervous a while ago, she felt relieved their conversation was going better than she expected. The cat sort of being the one who initiated the interaction… 

As soon as Cathy sat beside Kat, the cat began meowing again as it looked at Cathy. “Is there something wrong with Cathy, little guy,” Kat joked. The cat unexpectedly turned its head and meowed back at Kat, who chuckled. “Cathy, did you do anything to this cat the last time you saw it?” 

“I just watched it trying to catch petal,” Cathy said as she carefully put her camera down that’s been hanging around her neck. She looked curiously at Kat’s painting now that she’s up-close. It was a rather beautiful monochromatic landscape and Cathy was pretty mesmerized by it, to say the least. “Your painting’s so beautiful.” 

“Thanks! Though I think I can smoothen it out a bit more and make some parts more distinguishable… But then again, this is just a practice so I shouldn’t really aim for perfection.” The cat casually jumps from Kat’s lap onto the table and quickly makes its way to the gouache laid out on the table and leans close to it, probably planning to lick it. Kat swiftly grabs the cat before it could lick the gouache. “I’ve already established you’re smart, but your curiosity is literally going to get you killed,” Kat sighs. 

“But satisfaction will bring it back,” Cathy grinned, referencing one of Eugene O’Neill’s quotes. She was beginning to feel a bit more comfortable. Maybe it was the cat. Just maybe… 

The cat leapt from Kat’s arms to Cathy’s lap and nudged its head on her arm. “The little guy agrees with me!” 

“I’m starting to think this little guy’s not a stray. It feels as if it understands what we’re saying,” Kat laughed. 

Both Kat and Cathy continued to talk. They both wanted to get to know each other a bit more and they did, but not without the cat doing something every 5 minutes to distract them. Kat asked about Cathy’s camera and Cathy gladly showed and told her about it. She was thrilled Kat asked about it and couldn’t stop talking, especially when she got into how much she also loved writing. Kat paid attention to everything she said which made Cathy really happy. 

At one point When Kat was trying to show Cathy how she paints, the cat sat on the table directly in front of Kat. The cat just sat there and looked at Kat, not moving a muscle. It was like they were having a staring contest. Kat was holding back laughter as she just stared into the cat's blue eyes. 

Cathy found this utterly adorable and amusing. She grabbed her camera from the table, careful not to disrupt the staring contest between Kat and the cat. “This is still ironic,” Cathy thought to herself. She took a photo just for the sake of capturing the irony. 

“Did you just take a photo of us?” Kat asked smiling, hearing the shutter click. 

“Yup,” Cathy answered simply as she looked at the photo on her camera. It came out more beautiful than she thought considering it was just for fun. 

Kat leaned close to Cathy to look at the photo. “Anne would probably want a copy of that.” 

“I’d be happy to give her one next time I see her,” Cathy chuckled. 

“Oh, by the way, did you manage to convince your roommate to let your wear jumpers outside or did you just manage to sneak one out today?” 

“Well, there was kind of no point in sneaking it out today with what’s happening back at our flat.” Just imagining the atmosphere when she gets back is enough to make Cathy feel uneasy. “I’ve been thinking of a way convince her, but I doubt she’ll even listen anymore with the number of times I’ve tried before.” 

“Well, if you ever get cold again at work and need a jumper, just tell me.” 

“T-thank you…” Cathy was still hesitant about this for various reasons. Something else was on her mind though. Something that bothered her while she was washing Kat’s jumper. “Umm… Would you mind if I asked you a question?” 

“Go ahead,” Kat smiled. 

“Why... why do you bring a jumper with you in summer? I mean, I certainly appreciate what you did for me, but from what I’ve observed, you’re not really in the same situation as me. Like, being cold all the time even during summer. Oh, and you don’t need to answer it if you don’t want to, I was just curious.” Cathy at this point was seriously contemplating whether she should’ve brought it up, but she already did, so… 

“How do I say this,” Kat said as she looked at her jumper on the table and smiled softly. “You know those things that just bring you comfort? Well, for me that jumper is one of those kinds of things… Someone made it for me. Knowing that they took the time and effort to make this for me just makes extremely happy. But then again, I’m sure a lot of people do that even with the far simpler gifts, so in actuality that makes every gift that has been and will be given to me equally special, at least for me personally... As you can already. probably tell, I’m quite sentimental. Oh, and the jumper makes for a really good pillow when I just... decide to sleep outside.” 

Cathy internally let out a breath of relief, thankful that she really took her time in washing that knit for Kat to avoid any kind of damage. But then she realized, Kat just let her, a sort of a stranger at the time, borrow something important to her. “You’re… very kind,” Cathy said barely above a whisper while looking down. 

“Hmm?” Kat titled her head. 

“You let me borrow something important to you just because I felt cold… W-what if I messed up while washing it or unintentionally damaged it in any way? I would’ve ruined something so important to someone…” Cathy pondered at the thought for a bit. 

“When I first saw you, you gave off a vibe of someone careful and methodical. Watching you when we did that warm-up before the shift just further proved it. And just leaving you to freeze like that while we worked when I could’ve actually helped you doesn’t sit right with me even if I had just met you. I would’ve felt so guilty if I didn’t.” Kat grabbed the jumper from the table and held it in front of Cathy. “And you gave it back in peak condition anyway, so don’t worry about it,” right after Kat said that, the cat meowed at Cathy loudly. 

“I spent so much time washing it, trying to be extra careful since it’s a knit. **”** Cathy smiled as she petted the cat, cheering up a bit at the thought that Kat got that kind of vibe from her. It’s a simple compliment nor was it a direct one, but it’s enough to make her feel fuzzy inside. 

Kat chuckled and was about to say something when her phone started ringing. She stood up and excused herself leaving Cathy and the cat alone. The cat stared at Cathy, who just stared back, for a few seconds before it proceeds to lick its grey fur in front of Cathy. Cathy just blinked a few times at the cat. “Does that mean I win the staring contest?” 

Kat comes back shortly after, it seemed like it was just a quick call. “Anne just called and I need to get home,” she says while grinning and putting her stuff in her bag. Cathy checked the time and thought she should also probably check in on what happened back at her flat. 

But then she remembered she was lost. 

“Before you go, which way is the coffee shop?” Cathy figured she could use that as a reference to get home, plus she wanted some coffee before she went back. 

“Just walk straight from here and turn left at that building. Just keep walking and you should be there in about 10 minutes or so.” 

“Thank you… I’ll see you tomorrow at work?” 

“Definitely! Unless Anne does something… You never know with my cousin,” Kat laughed. “It was nice talking to you. I should go before Anne calls me again.” 

Kat said goodbye and while walking she watched Cathy walk to the opposite direction, making sure she turned at the right building. Once everything was good, she picked up her pace a bit to her flat. When she opened the door to her flat, she heard a meow as she came in. She looked down and saw the cat from the park followed her. 

“Is that a cat I hear?” Kat hears Anne yelp as she hears something move. 

“Yup,” Kat shouts back as she makes her way to Anne, just letting the cat do what it wants. When Kat opened the door, she saw Anne stuck in a tiny gap between her bed and the wall… wearing Heelys as Kat had expected… Sort of, since it looked funnier than she expected to the point she began laughing and covered her face with her jumper that didn’t fit in her bag. Anne joined in as well, but after a while, her back started to hurt. “Okay, I… I really need help though.” 

Kat went over to Anne and took her Heelys off first before pulled her out of the tiny gap. “How did you get your bum stuck in that tiny little gap and with your Heelys on?” Kat laughed and looked at Anne who was for some reason frowning. “What’s wrong?” 

“Can you come here,” Anne said grabbing Kat’s hand. Kat was confused (and still recovering from laughing), but she complied. “You smell different.” Then she looked at the jumper Kat was holding and everything in her mind just clicked. “You went on a date without telling me!?” 

“What? Anne, no. Cathy just happened to be in the park I go to often,” Kat explained, but in her mind, even if Anne believed her, she would just keep teasing her about it. But again, this is very entertaining to her… especially now. 

“C’mon, Kat. Just admit you like her,” Anne whined. Kat just stared at her for a moment before standing up from her bed. 

“As much as you like that girl you played chess with? Then… maybe.” Kat smirks while picking up the cat that had made its way to Anne’s bed and walks out. Anne sat on her bed for a moment before running towards Kat in the kitchen. “So, you’re admitting you like her,” Anne says a bit too loud, startling the cat Kat was trying to feed. “Huh… This is ironic,” Anne thought. 

Kat casually rummages through drawers to find something for the cat to sleep on.“Like I said, maybe.”

Anne just stands still, trying to process everything. “You can’t just say maybe! Give me a more definite answer, Kat,” Anne whined again. The cat meowed loudly at her while Kat just smiles and ignores her. “Don’t ignore me, Kat!” 

“What do you mean? The cat answered you,” Kat joked, making fun of her cousin’s nickname for her. 

Anne finally notices Kat carrying a small box with blankets in it for the cat and finding a place to lay it down before sitting on the couch. “Are you just slowly and nonchalantly making a home for that cat?” 

“Yup,” Kat said as she looks for cat names on her phone. “Well don’t leave me out of it,” Anne said as she plops down on the couch beside Kat. 

“I thought you were more interested in finding out if I liked Cathy?” 

“I’m distracted now and you wouldn’t tell me no matter how much I bug you.” 

“I learnt that from the best.” 

“That compliment doesn’t make up for the disappointment I feel of being deprived of such information,” Anne said dramatically. Kat, who’s still thinking of cat names, turns to Anne. “Any ideas on what to name our new cat,” Kat asks. Anne thinks for a moment before grinning. “Dog,” Anne said, causing Kat just stare at her. 

“Don’t do this to a cat. That’s exactly the equivalent of naming your child after a Pokémon.” 

“Let’s get a second opinion, shall we,” Anne suggests as she grabs her phone. Kat leans over and raises an eyebrow. 

“Jane would never agree to name a cat, ‘Dog.’” 

“You never know with Jane, just saying,” Anne shrugged as she dials Jane. “But that line’s for you,” Kat giggles. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoped you enjoyed reading! I forgot to tag the rest of the ships, but I'll just tag them the next time I update. Next chapter is also probably going to take a while because December's always busy for me, but I'll do my best!
> 
> ^-^


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